Thursday, July 21

US Ambassador ignores Reps probe over alleged sex-scandal

James Entwistle

The outgoing United States Ambassador to Nigeria, James Entwistle, yesterday, failed again to appear before the House of Representatives investigative hearing committee on the alleged sex misconduct involving three members of the House.

This is as the three members involved in the sex scandal accused the ambassador of racial discrimination, adding that the allegation, which they claimed never existed, was a plot to smear the image of the country. They also said the absence of the ambassador and the postponement of the investigative hearing on two occasions were a denial in disguise.

The three members facing allegations of sexual misconduct are Mohammed Garba Gololo (APC, Bauchi); Samuel Ikon (PDP, Akwa Ibom) and Mark Gbillah (APC, Benue). Entwistle had, in a petition to Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, alleged that the actions of the three lawmakers at the International Visitor Leadership Programme in Cleveland, Ohio, USA, from 7th to 13th April, 2016, brought disrepute to the parliament.

He alleged that the three lawmakers solicited for sex from prostitutes and grabbed a hotel housekeeper in a bid to rape. Accused members threaten legal action against Entwistle But the lawmakers, who appeared at the Ossai Nicholas Ossai-led Committee, insisted they were innocent of the allegations against them, and demanded that the envoy produced evidence to substantiate his claims.

Testifying before the joint House committee, the accused lawmakers described the allegations by Entwistle as false and baseless. They also threatened legal action against the ambassador and the US government, if they failed to apologize to them or substantiate the allegation, in line with global practice.